Finite Element Analysis of Electrical Double Layers near Triple Contact Lines

To assess the electrostatic interaction of surfaces at the triple contact line, the electrostatic field is analyzed by using the finite element method. The Helmholtz free energy is used as a functional which should be minimized under an equilibrium condition. The numerical results are compared with the nonlinear analytical solution for a two-dimensional charged interface and linear solution for a wedge shaped geometry, which shows fairly good agreement. The method is applied to the analysis of electrostatic influence on the contact angle on a charged substrate. The excess free energy found to increase drastically as the contact angle approaches to zero. This excess free energy Plays an opposite role to the Primary electrocapillary effect, as the contact angle gets smaller. This enables an alternative explanation for the contact-angle saturation phenomenon occurring in electrical control of surface tension and contact angle.